Operation Leonhardt
by Rainy Day Anime
Summary: Armene Arlet is in love with the most unlikeness of men. Anthony Leonhardt is always distant and cold to everyone but can he open up to the one person who see's the good in him? Or will it all end in an epic fail. Set during recruitment training and maybe a little bit afterwards. Please thank MomoNiu of DeviantArt for the story.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, Hey, Hey everyone how you doing? I know I keep making stories without finishing them but this one is special because I'm about to keep a promise to someone. This story is dedicated to MomoNiu from Deviant Art. Her drawings of Attack on Titan are awesome and she was cool enough to let me write a Fanfiction based of her designs. This is going to be a gender bend version of the characters, all of which have different names. Hopefully you all will get what name is who as you go along but in case you don't I'll leave a list at the bottom with each name. The art I'm referring to is called ****Shingeki no GENDERBEND! Please check it out. It will be a great visual but other than that I hope you enjoy. Oh and Attack on Titan belongs to blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Not me you get what I mean.**

The Strong Silent Type

She never knew what drew her toward him. Maybe it was his cold exterior, or his lack of friends, or his beautiful blue eyes, or maybe his amazing body. But of all those things Armene Arlet still couldn't find out why she liked him like this much. But whatever it was it didn't matter. All the mattered was that she had fallen head of heels with the most unlikeliest men in the world, the same one who scared almost everybody with his glare, the same one who rarely talked to anybody unless needed, the same one who kept throwing her friend Esen on her ass every time she tried to spar. She had a crush on the one and only, Anthony Leonhardt.

"What are you doing Armene?"

"Huh w-what?"

"I asked what are you doing. You've been reading that same page for a few minutes now."

Mikito was always one to notice when his friends were acting weird. If Esen didn't talk about murdering titans, or getting stronger to beat titans, or complain on how Jeannie was a bitch then there was obviously something wrong. For Armene to sit quietly and not even finish a page of reading definitely set up some red flags.

"Oh sorry, it's just this story is just too good and I-" Her sentence was cut off by Mikito's stare. No matter how long she knew him that stare of his would always make her talk. It was something that effected almost everybody he's ever come in contact with. The only one not affected by it was Esen, for obvious reasons. Other than her, I guess Anthony and Yamar might not be afraid but that wasn't something to look into just yet.

"Armene I can tell your lying"

"No I'm not"

"Yes you are." and right there ended the argument. She could deny it all she wanted to but he would always win. She was the girl for crying out loud, she was supposed to win the arguments.

"Really Mikito it's nothing, I was just thinking is all."

"Really about what?" Now she was in for it. There had to be something that would be believable.

"About how I'm going to get stronger."

"What?" Well she was wasn't exactly lying. She always did want to be strong so she didn't feel like a burden to her friends but it was either this or tell him she liked a guy he hated.

"Armene I keep telling you not to worry. Me and Esen will always protect you." he said gently. She knew he meant well but that didn't make her feel better. It's was saying "it's ok to be a wimp cause I'll always bail you out." type of thing.

"Yeah I know but I want to show I can hold my own."

"Armene you are the smartest out of all of us and you always come up with the good plans. We need you so don't think you're a burden because you're not."

"Thanks Mikito..." It was nice for someone to say she was useful. At least she could take pride that she was the smartest one, unlike Esen who constantly cheated off her and asked for help. Not that she minded.

Her eyes started drifting across the room. She wasn't sure what she was looking for until it was right in front of her. There in the back was Anthony sitting with Bertel and Reina. Bertel was nervous about something while Reina was talking. It looked like they were just hanging out like normal but she couldn't help but notice that Anthony was saying anything. He didn't even look like he was paying attention. In fact it looked like he was staring right at...

It was then that she realized that he was staring at her, like directly at her. She was so nervous she picked up her book and started reading as fast as she could, occasionally peaking over the top to see if he was looking at her. Sure enough he still was and now Reina and Bertel were wondering what he was staring at. Quickly she went back to her book and pretended nothing was happening but still couldn't shake Anthony gaze on her. She needed to focus on something else quick before she gave herself away anymore.

"So Esen how was 3-D training?" Esen had stopped talking about whatever it was.

"Oh man I nearly got it, I was so close, I know I can do it."

"That's great."

"I know, now if only if someone can help me out. I think I'll ask Reina and Bertel, they seem to be good at it." Esen said, getting up to leave. Now normally I'd tell him that Mikito could help him just fine but there was always a sense of sibling rivalry between Esen and Mikito. It was more one-sided as Esen hated being second best while Mikito was just oblivious to it. Either that or he didn't show interest.

Once again I could feel someone staring at me. I try to fight the urge to look but it's too much for me to bear. I must look for the sake of my sanity. I slowly turn around expecting to see Anthony, instead I see Samson up close and personal in my face. His mouth was drooling slightly like he just found a mountain of food. Then again Samson had a appetite that was, to put it lightly, inhuman.

"Hey, Armene."

"Y-yes Samson can I help you?"

"Are you going to eat that?" When she went to check what exactly he wanted from her she noticed that she hardly touched her dinner. She never did have a big appetite, hence the reason she was one of the skinnier members. Naturally she would have gave it him just so he'd get out of her face. Having a drooling person in front of you asking for you dinner while he is up close to the point where she could smell his potato breath wasn't one of her favorite things.

She picked the bread and threw it across the room. What did he expect when he was that close to her? She didn't want him anywhere near her food, even though she didn't eat as much as she should. Of course she could have asked Mikito for help but she didn't want to terrify the poor guy. Mikito was scary when it came to defending his friends. If anything he would eat the bread she had in front of him just for fun. That would be funny but it still wouldn't make the drooling Samson leave her space for another minute. So it was a win-win situation.

" YOU BETTER BACK OFF YOU POTATO PRICK!" yelled a furious Yamar. Apparently she had accidently thrown the bread at Christian, which he caught, and had it stolen by a crazy Samson jumping straight at him and stealing the bread away with his teeth. His eyes flashed red for a second and he looked like a wild animal. This apparently freaked out Christian so naturally Yamar felt the need to get angry at whatever scared his friend.

Samson got the message and backed away, taking the bread off someone's table and his own. Everything went back to normal for a minute before the front door to the mess hall was kicked open. Shardis was looking pissed.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WITH ALL THE NOISE?!" Shardis must have been relaxing or something because he looked like he was about to drop kick the nearest recruit, who happened to be Maria, who was sitting right next to Jeannie, who started choking on her potato. Thankfully Mary hit her on the back so she could breath. Nobody was saying anything, half the people didn't even know what was going on, but then Mikito stood up to address the instructor.

"Sir Samson ripped a giant fart sir." It took everyone's restraint not to laugh. Shardis turned to Samson and face palmed. Samson stood there with his mouth hanging open.

"Why am I not surprised. Learn some restrain Samson. Everyone else SHUT THE HELL UP AND GO TO SLEEP!" Shardis slammed the door.

When everyone was sure he was gone they let loose everything. Everybody was laughing their asses off, even she couldn't stop giggling. They were trying to keep it as quite as possible so Shardis wouldn't come back but this was something you just couldn't let go. Poor Samson was complaining to Mikito for embarrassing him but he just shrugged it off and gave a half assed apology. He was even nice enough to give the guy bread. Well it was more like he stuffed the bread in Samson's mouth so he'd shut up but it was the thought that counted right? At least it was better than nothing. The only few who weren't enjoying this were Mikito, being stoic as ever, Samson who was still complaining to Mikito, and Anthony who looked indifferent to it all.

The way he kept his cool like that was just so...alluring that it made her want him more. She could already feel a blush on her cheeks. But now it was time to go to sleep. Those who stayed up ended up suffering the most by the end of the day. She left the mess and walked to the girls sleeping quarters. Tomorrow was going to be hand to hand training. Just the thinking about it made her feel sore.

**Well here it is, the first chapter up and running. I know I didn't jump right into the picture but I couldn't help myself once I started writing. I thought it be easier to explain the characters early so nobody would have to go back and look later on. But I will add the list to other chapters if it becomes a problem. Anyways I hope you enjoyed and please check out MomoNiu on DievantArt, I'm sure she would appreciate it.**

**Characters**

**Eren - Esen ( Since Eren is a Turkish name I thought this would be appropriate. Yes it's a real name.)**

**Armin - Armene **

**Mikasa - Mikito (Mikasa is actually a gender neutral name but I thought this would be easier)**

**Jean - Jeannie**

**Marco - Mary**

**Annie - Anthony**

**Sasha - Samson**

**Connie - Coleen**

**Bertholdt - Bertel **

**Reiner - Reina**

**Christa - Christian**

**Ymir - Yamar**

**Shardis - Shardis? ( I have no idea...)**


	2. Pain in the Back

**Hello everyone, how are you all the fine day... evening...whatever you know what I mean. I hope you all went to check out the art I talked about. I promised MomoNiu that I would give her all the credit if she let me make this. So go to DeviantArt and check out her work because that it's only fair to give credit where credit is due. She made it so you all should see it. The art... not the story; the story belongs to me and Attack on Titan belongs to ****Hajime Isayama and is licensed Madman Entertainment, Funimation, and ****Manga UK****. Please enjoy.**

Pain in the Back

One would assume that with all the training everyone does to kill titans there wouldn't be any need to learn hand to hand fighting. Of course she always assumed it was because Shardis wanted to see us get more hurt than usual. Now here she was on her ass because the girl she was sparing with was much stronger then her. No matter what angle she went for she would always lose. She was great at strategy but she never had the muscle to back it up most of the time. Hopefully she'll catch a break so enough.

"Wow this is sad I can't believe a wimp like you even made in the military. Take a hint and back out while you can cause there's no way in hell you're going to beat m-" the girl didn't even get to finish her sentence before I rushed her and knocked her to the ground. Her annoying condescending voice and hurtful words was too much for her anymore. All her life she was beaten up and called weak, having to rely on her friends for protection but now was going to be different. She wasn't going to be as strong as most of the others but that doesn't mean she was going to quit because someone said she should. No not this time, Armene Arlet will not back down.

"What the..." The other girl was surprised that the girl she had been kicking the crap of had finally knocked her on her ass. It was like a haze, on moment she was standing up and the next she was thrown to the ground. It was strange but it wasn't a big deal, if she were to go after Armene then there was a chance she would have to fight Mikito or Esen, both of which would destroy her without breaking a sweat. So might as well be a good sport about it.

"Hey nice one, maybe this time I don't have to hold back." she said.

"Uh actually I um..well.." Armene didn't really want to fight the girl again, she got lucky and that's all. It would probably be better to find someone else like Samson to help. At least he was, more or less, a friend.

"If you want to go to someone else that's cool, just don't expect me to go easy on you next time ok?" she said. It was easier to leave things on a good note. If she would have been trying her hardest then Armene could have gotten really hurt and that would mean her getting destroyed by one of the strongest guys here. Besides getting thrown on your ass 21 times as compared to her 3, all but the last one were dives, would annoy anyone. Still she had to give credit for how long the girl lasted, most people would have just given up.

Armene was looking for someone easy to spar when she saw Anthony flipping Esen on her back. Just one fell kick and she was on the ground staring at the sky. Reina tried and got knocked faster than Esen did. Honestly, seeing someone as strong and buff as Reina get smacked down by Anthony was funny. Esen didn't learn her lesson and tried to take Anthony on again, with the same results. She must have been at about 8 times easily, also something that was funny. Mikito didn't feel the same way though.

Armene could feel her friends cold aura as he was busy beating another recruit. He wasn't even paying attention and yet the person he was sparring with got knocked down. She could already tell what it was that pissed him off. Seeing Esen getting smacked down repeatedly wasn't something the over protective step brother liked to see. One could say that it made him a little angry. But he knew Esen need to get stronger so he let it pass, even if it did make him want to beat the living shit out of Anthony.

Anthony started walking away, most likely going to skip out on training but this was a perfect time to talk to him. Esen had gotten angry and decided to have one more go before leaving. Esen came close to land a punch on him but he was able to see her attack at the last minute and knock her down again, a bit harder than before.

She walked over just as Esen was getting up and helped her before she stumbled but Esen shrugged me off. She was always so stubborn.

"Esen maybe it'd be better to spar with someone else."

"Your friend's right. This is pointless." Anthony said. His voice was monotone but at least he wanted to stop fighting.

"No way if I'm ever going to join the survey core I have to be strong, even if it means beating you." Esen announced. The girl was always so dramatic and serious, never satisfied until all the Titans are extinct. Considering that there are probably Titans all around the world, that goal may take awhile. But hell more power to her. To be honest all Armene wanted to do was go find the ocean and spend the rest of her days on the sea with her husband Anthony. Wait did she just think about marrying a guy she barely knew? Somehow the idea seemed unlikely but then again crazier things have happened.

Anthony never tried to show emotion. He believed it to be weakness and strived to not let it get in the way of his goals. Joining the Military Police was an honor only few had and it would give him a nice safe job away from danger. Don't get him wrong, he wasn't afraid, far from it but he didn't like the idea of being sent out into the unknown to purposely die for the supposed greater good. Maybe that made him a cold hearted bastard but it was his philosophy and that wasn't going to change anytime soon. Everybody was thinking the same as he did, hoping to use this training as a means of getting perks and respect, boasting about fighting an enemy they never seen. It was all for popularity mostly.

But there was a few things that bothered him. One was Esen Yager, who was blind enough to want to go and join the most lethal branch of the military for the sake of revenge. It was pure idiocy, he could respect a soldier willing to fight, more than those who say they will but would crap there panties if they saw a real titan but it was like she was purposely running out there to die for nothing. He could respect her dedication and her need to be strong but that is where it ended.

The second thing that bothered him was a small petite blonde headed girl with blue eyes and was barely shorter then he was, a girl by the name of Armene Arlet. She was always looking at him and then trying to pretend otherwise when he caught her. He could always feel her looking at him. Reina said that I was popular with the girls but that was crap and he knew it. Nobody wanted to be near him because of his cold and callus attitude so there was no way she could like him. Could she? His thoughts wondered for a moment, trying to wrap around the idea of someone liking him. It didn't matter though, he didn't feel anything for a girl he barely knew. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even notice said girl come over.

She was helping her friend up after their spar. That girl was more stubborn than anybody gave her credit for. How anybody could put up with that must have nerves of steel. As Armene was helping her friend he noticed Mikito heading his way. The guy was one of the strongest out of everybody and right now he looked like he was looking for a fight. Somehow he knew this had to do with him.

"Esen are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?" said Mikito, his voice was normally callas but he could pick up the hint of worry on him. He heard they were step siblings so it made sense why someone like him would put up with someone like her.

"I'm fine Mikito, stop treating me like a little kid." she snapped. Armene knew Esen liked her brother, a lot actually. But she didn't like the idea of having somebody save her, no matter who it was. It was on Mikito mostly because he was always the one to save her. She even told her that she hated how her brother always seemed to make her look weak. I can understand that I guess, given Esen personality anyways. She didn't want to rely on others, just like herself, but Armene was never strong so it wasn't a big deal.

Mikito apparently didn't hear her because he turned his attention to Anthony and looked like he was about to tear him a new butthole and knowing Anthony he more than likely won't back down. As they walked toward each other they both got into their fighting stance, she could tell that this was going to get brutal. She'd rather not have to pick up the pieces of her friend and the boy she liked so it was probably the best to stop this before things got intense.

" Heh Heh- guys can you please stop?!" She said, stepping in between them. Ok stepping in between two angry boys who want to kill each other probably wasn't one of her smarter ideas but what could you expect from her?

"Please!" added Esen. She had a little blush for seeing Mikito stand up for her. Normally she'd get angry at him for butting in but having him fight for her honor really made her feel special. So she decided to let it slide for now.

Mikito still looked angry but Esen patted his shoulder and smiled. It was rare for him to see her happy that didn't involve saying "You're going to be the best Titan slayer ever." or something along those lines. So to see her smile at him with kindness and gentleness, even though it was small, gave him enough reason to back down. He glared back at Anthony and left with Esen, probably off to spar or, if Armene believed to be correct, try to impress her so she'd love him. He wasn't the romantic type but you had to give him an "A" for effort.

Now all was left was her and Anthony. As she stared into is gorgeous blue eyes she completely froze up. She never did have any luck with boys, mostly because she was shy and was...well..a nerd. But now she was in front of the boy she'd been crushing so hard on ever since she saw him at orientation. She didn't see too much of his face but damn did he have a nice body.

She waited with him for what seemed like hours but really it was a few seconds. Her face blushing red, her eyes trying to focus on the ground so not get distracted, her mind drawing a complete blank thinking what to say, and her heart beating a hundred miles a minute. She got so lost in her thoughts that she almost didn't notice Anthony closing the distance between them. He wasn't up close and personal but still...

"Hey" his voice snapped her out of her thoughts

"U-um y-y-yes?" Damn her stuttering!

"You're the girl that always staring at me. Why is that?" his voice was monotone as usual.

"Oh umm...I..uh..." She really had no idea what to do now. It would have been a great idea if she prepared something for this but no she had to go and wing it. God she must look like an idiot right now. How can she say "I look at you because you have hair richer then gold and eyes as blue as the sky and I'm completely in love with you" without sounding like a complete idiot.

Anthony took another step forward to look her directly in the eye. He had no intention in finishing today's training, considering he was obviously better then everyone else so now he could find out why exactly this girl kept staring at him. Her face looked a bit red and she wasn't paying attention to him, like she was too afraid to look him in the eyes. Most people felt that, he was used to it.

Armene couldn't take the pressure anymore, it was all too much. She had no idea what to say or how to say it but if she didn't say something soon she was going to lose her chance. Now all that was left was do exactly what gave her a mind blank. She was going to have to wing it and hope for the best.

"It's because I-I-I umm..." Damn her stuttering!

"Yes?" Anthony felt it fair to be patient. If he just yelled at her or told her to stop nothing would change. She more than likely wouldn't and then he would have to put up with Esen and Mikito and possibly Shardis. Even though he wasn't afraid of either of them it was a headache he didn't want to have. So all he had to do was wait, it's not like he had anything better to do.

"I...sorta..umm... really...like you." Armene said that last bit quietly. She had no idea if he heard or not but at least she was able to say it and hope for the best. Hopefully he did because she didn't think she had the courage to say it again. The look on Anthony's face read that he definitely heard her because there was a tiny blush on his face. Now that she knew he heard her it was all a matter of luck. She had to be brave for once and see this through. If he rejected her then she could move on, albeit depressed but at least she could eventually move on.

Anthony was surprised, though he didn't show it. When Reina said that Armene probably like him he brushed it off as one of her ways to mess with him. He supposed her and Bertel were his friends, after all they were the few people that actually talked to him. But now that he knew Armene actually really did like him he found himself at a loss of words. He looked into her eyes and saw how nervous she was. He knew she was expecting an answer but he didn't have one to give.

"Why do you like me?" Wow that was the best he could come up with? Oh well at least it gave him time to think of something to say.

Armene hated herself now. The more she tried the harder it was. She liked Anthony, she really did and she would do almost anything if he would like her back...almost anything. She had a long list on why she liked him, but she needed to find a select few that seemed romantic and not strange or creepy. The last thing she wanted was for him to back away after complimenting him on his nice ass. As she looked at him, she could tell he was waiting for an answer, one that she didn't have at the moment and needed to think.

"I think you're a good person" she blurted out. What the hell?! She didn't mean to say that, that wasn't romantic at all! Even though it was the truth. This wasn't anything she imagined it to be. She thought it would be more romantic with them meeting together after dark, in the presence of a full moon, and have him confess his love for her. Apparently her reality took a small vacation to parts unknown because there was no way in hell that would happen. But still a girl could dream right?

Anthony must have looked like somebody sucker punched in the face because he was in shock. Armene thought he was a good person? How can anybody think that? Did she not notice how distant he is from everyone? Or how scary his glares are? Did she miss how he threw her friend on her ass over and over again? They hardly ever talked, other than occasional hello and even those were rare. In fact he couldn't even remember having a conversation with her or anybody that wasn't Bertel or Reina. Now Armene was standing there in front of him again and waiting for an answer. He wasn't a good person by any means, it'd be best she know that.

" If you knew me, the real me, then you wouldn't think there'd be anything good about me. I'm not a good person, not even close." He didn't want to make it sound like he hated himself but it was the truth and she needed to know it."

"I don't believe that."

"What?"

"I don't believe your a bad person. I know you care for us at least a little. I know you want to be strong and you push people away but I can tell you're still a good guy" Armene smiled. She liked many things about him and while it's true he wasn't exactly the nicest person, she can see the goodness in his heart. Call it woman's intuition.

Anthony was speechless, this girl in front of him truly did think he was a good person. He had pushed people away, he had hurt people, he was a monster, but somehow through all that, Armene saw something he didn't know existed. He feel his cheeks heating up in a blush and this one he couldn't hold back.

"Thank you" said Anthony. It was all he could say. He didn't believe he was a good person but she obviously did. He felt something now, a small knot in his chest and his heart beat increased. Has Armene always been so beautiful? He didn't know what he was feeling, it all felt so strange and confusing. He wanted to talk to her, he actually wanted to talk to someone without for no alternative reason, but his mind was a complete blank. It was like his thoughts were erased once he looked at her.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO DOING?! GET TO WORK NOW! screamed Shardis. Anthony was so distracted with Armene he forgot to bail out on training. It wasn't a big deal but no he had to find somebody before Shardis made him run laps. He rather not miss dinner because he ignored his superior. Luckily there was a nice body person right in front of him. Wait did he just think Armene had a nice body? Oh god what was this girl doing to him?

"Hey um.. Armene right?"

"Yeah"

"Would you like to spar with me?" He honestly had no intention of doing much with her but he had to do something so Shardis would go away.

"I'm not very good, are you sure?" If it was anything else she would love to spend time with him but sparing with a guy that was just as good as Mikito wasn't going to be as fun for her as it would be for him.

"It's fine, I'll go easy on you" He knew by the look of her that she was not a fighter. He had heard she was one of the best academics in class but that was probably her only strength. Even if he went easy on her it'd be too much. Armene answered his question with a slow nod and they both got into fighting stance. Shardis was still watching.

Armene was terrified now. When she woke up this morning she planned on talking to Anthony, not fighting him. This was going to hurt a lot. The only good side to this is that her years of being beaten by bullies gave her a slight pain tolerance. Hopefully it would come in handy. Without much thought she picked up the wooden knife needed for training and charged at him.

As Anthony watched as Armene charged at him with a knife. He could tell she had no intension of causing him harm so even if he did nothing she would miss. Shardis was still watching and would get butt hurt if he didn't do anything. The moment Armene was in range he elbowed her in the face and kicked her off her feet and onto her back, just like the rest of the people who tried to fight him. Shardis looked satisfied so she left. Armene however looked to be in pain, she was rubbing her back as she stood up. Strangely enough, he felt guilty for hurting her. Not enough to regret his decision but he still felt a small shred of guilt. But the day was still young and they still had a few hours before they finished. The rest of the day was spent teaching Armene some new moves to fight and though she kept on getting hurt, she was determined to keep going. This girl had determination and he respected that. Hopefully she'll be better tomorrow when they do this again. There was only one way to find out.

**Wow that was surprisingly longer then I thought. I wanted to be true to the deviantArt the artist made. Otherwise I thought it turned out quite well. I actually finished awhile ago but forgot to post it. Sorry about that, I'm managing several other stories so I forget sometimes. Why you may ask? Because focusing on one thing can be frustrating when I run out of ideas so I find something else to work on and keep the creativity flowing. Is it a good system? Well...I'm not sure but it's working so far so I'll stick to it. Please comment and review for me. It helps me as a writer and I like to hear feedback from you guys who read this. Post whatever you want whether good or bad I don't mind. Anyways thanks for reading everyone, I'll write another chapter soon.**

**Peace. **


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